Sanga, White were incredible: Dhawan

Deccan Chargers opener says he too would have liked to score big on Cuttack wicket

The Deccan Chargers registered just their second win of DLF IPL 2012 when they trounced the Pune Warriors India by 13 runs at the Barabati stadium in Cuttack. Kumar Sangakkara (82) and Cameron White (74) were the stars of the Chargers’ victory. The pair shared a 157-run stand for the third wicket – the best in IPL 2012 – to take their team to a winning score of 186.

IPLT20.com caught up with DC’s opening batsman, Shikhar Dhawan, at the end of the match to get his views on the game.

Before we get to Kumar Sangakkara and Cameron White’s partnership, what did you make of your team’s bowling performance?

Our bowlers bowled really well. Credit goes to them that they bowled well under such pressure.

Now, tell us about that partnership between two of your best batsmen?

It was one of the best partnerships of IPL 2012. They batted fabulously. They started off well, rotated the strike and then went for the big shots. They were incredible. PWI started off well with Sourav Ganguly and Michael Clarke putting on a 90-run stand, and then, Steven Smith playing his typical feisty innings at No. 4. Do you think the match could have slipped out of your hands?

Of course. There was pressure from ball one. But we were sticking to our basics and looking to execute our plans.Today was a rare occasion when you didn’t fire with the bat. You must be disappointed.

I’ve been going well, but I would have liked to stay a little longer at the wicket. I watched Sangakkara today and wanted to score some big runs like him.Tell us how different is Sangakkara’s style of captaincy from Cameron White’s?

They both are good captains, but both have their own unique style. White has his own field placings, while Sangakkara has his. They both are instinctive. Like today, Sangakkara asked me to bowl one over for him. He was going by his instinct. White, on the other hand, is always changing the field and putting pressure on the batsmen. The fielding from today’s game could do with a little bit of improvement.

We know we dropped catches, but we have been working really hard on the fielding. It’s unfortunate we dropped catches, but we haven’t spared any effort. It happens sometimes.Two wins out of nine games. If you win your remaining seven matches, you could still go through to the playoffs. Is it possible?

Of course it is a hard task, but hope is always there. We will give it our best to win all the games and make our team proud.

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